Apple really wants users to know and believe that it is now all about privacy. In general, privacy is an issue that triggers strong reactions from consumers, advertisers, technology companies and governments, and it is highly likely to continue to be an important issue for many years to come. However, just how far can Apple device owners trust the company's claims of superior attention to privacy?

Apple is the manufacturer of some of the world's most popular products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad, as well as a line of notebooks and desktop computers. Apple also offers several services that integrate with its hardware and operating systems to make the user experience as seamless and simple as possible. The phrase 'It just works' has become the standard that Apple products are often associated with. This usually proves true with Apple actually having the highest customer satisfaction rates for smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and computers. While there was an embarrassing moment in 2014 when several celebrities' private iCloud photos were revealed to the public, Apple has had few such breaches since.

Related: A Closer Look At Apple's Official Human Rights Policy & What It Says

Is Apple really as concerned about consumer privacy as it says it is? Apple makes an excellent case for respecting user privacy on its Privacy page which can be found under the heading of Apple Values on the company's website. While many companies send data to the cloud for processing, Apple handles most of the customized system interactions and responses on the device. This puts more burden on the processor, but Apple's mobile CPUs have always outperformed competitors. While other service providers tie user accounts with collected data, Apple avoids storing data related to customer activity when possible, without impacting the experience. When necessary, Apple connects the data to identifiers that are constantly changing and have random components, making unauthorized access to private data improbable.

How Apple Can Offer Better Privacy

Apple Privacy

Of course, a corporation exists to make money and grow larger, and Apple is clearly no exception, having a net worth of two trillion dollars. This requirement for growth can, however, intersect with customer privacy, if the business model supports it. For Apple, offering privacy while still making money and growing does not present as big of a problem as it does for Google or Facebook. Those companies offer services for free with no hardware purchase necessary and no subscription required.

The primary means of monetizing those services is by selling advertisements. Advertisers love internet-based marketing because so much data is available and they are always hungry for more. Who buys what from which location? Those kinds of questions are just the beginning. Every little detail about the customer that lingers on an ad or click-through increases value. It begins to make sense how challenging it is for companies that provide ad-based, free services. Meanwhile, Apple largely operates ad-free. While Apple News, Stocks and the App Store show advertisements, hardware sales account for over 75-percent of Apple's revenue and many of its services have paid subscription fees. It simply doesn't need advertising revenue to the degree required by Google and Facebook.

Ultimately, the best intentions, even those that agree with corporate interests, may not be enough. Hackers have been known to gain access to supposedly secure servers and personal devices and the very best tech companies have suffered breaches. Apple is no stranger to this, as the 2014 iCloud photo hack attests. Years have passed since and Apple is much more vigilant now. However, it really is a matter of trust and that has to be determined by each individual. How much can be shared? Which photos and documents are stored in the cloud? Should targeting be switched on to see advertisements that may actually have value? Or should that information be denied, accepting more annoying and randomly selected ads?

Given that many share very personal information publicly on social media, it's odd that privacy still hits home. That is the duality of the human mind, simultaneously wanting to share all, but hide everything at the same time. For now, it may be enough to know that Apple is making a great effort to protect customer privacy. It makes sense for Apple to do so, and to promote the ways that make it different from many other tech leaders.

More: Facebook Warns iOS 14 Changes Will Lead to Advertiser Revenue Drop

Source: Apple